Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
by Starfighter Stories
Summary: Callum looks to restart the Dragon Guard while teaching other humans to form connections to primal sources. Elsewhere, Claudia tries to rebuild her family as she forms her own team of mages to take the fight further into Xadia. All while Aaravos watches both from the shadows with growing fascination and the war between elves and humans threatens to escalate to a whole new level.
1. Cycles

Chapter 1

Cycles

Rayla had been watching her boyfriend for several minutes now. They were supposed to go stargazing together an hour after he had tucked Ezran into bed, as they had done every night for the past two weeks. Tonight was different though, almost half an hour after sunset he was nowhere to be seen. After walking around asking anyone and everyone if they had seen him. Amaya mentioned that she had seen him head up to the top of the Storm Spire well before sunset.

This brought her to him, half expecting a romantic candle lit dinner underneath the stars to be waiting for her. Instead, she found her boyfriend sitting in the dark, staring off into the distance as he nervously played with edges of his shirt sleeve. Tugging at a loose thread of fabric with his fingertips.

"Hey." She said softly, making him jump in surprise.

"Oh, Rayla! Sorry, I was just about to come get you." He stammered, still playing with his sleeve as she walked over and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean what's wrong?" He replied, averting his gaze for half a second.

"You're playing with the loose thread on your sleeve, you had your aunt tuck Ezran in for you and you didn't try to pull me into a bear hug within seconds of seeing me. Something is wrong." She summarized.

Callum sighed and shook his head.

"That obvious huh?"

"Oh yeah."

"I've just been thinking a lot I guess."

"About?"

"Us."

Rayla felt a lump in her throat form.

"What do you mean us?"

"Humans and elves. How we've been fighting for almost a thousand years. It's really sad."

Rayla nodded and gently took her boyfriend's hand, pulling it away from the thread he was nervously yanking on.

"It is sad, but look at it this way, those times are going to be over soon. Me and you, your aunt and Commander Janai. We're proof that things can change."

"How long will that change take though? How many more battles do we have to fight before people like Viren accept that things have changed."

Rayla gently squeezed his hand before releasing it from her grasp.

"Callum…there will always be men like Viren. There were men like him long before we were born and there will be men like him long after we're dead and gone. That doesn't mean we stop fighting them."

"I guess your right." He said with a sigh before falling onto his back, his eyes flicking over to his girlfriend and extending his arm out to her.

"Join me?" He asked as she smiled and laid down next to him, snuggling into his side as he put his arm around her.

"What got you thinking about all this anyway?" She asked after settling in.

"Well, I was wondering if there are other people like me." He replied, making his girlfriend shake her head.

"Callum of course there are more people like you. You can't be the only one who's sick of all the fighting- "

"No no, not like that. I mean like, people who can use primal magic, without a conduit." He replied quickly.

"Oh…" Rayla replied quietly. The thought had never crossed her mind before.

"I don't know."

It was the only response she could muster. Once upon a time she had believed that it was impossible for humans to use primal magic but now, all bets were off.

"If there were other people like me, maybe we could convince them to help us stop the war. I could teach them how to use primal magic. Maybe they do have a connection to one of the primal sources, and maybe it's just buried deep down. Maybe I can help them find it, and then maybe, we could reform The Dragon Guard." Callum continued.

Rayla's eyes went wide.

"If that was true, it could change everything we know about magic." Rayla added. "Plus, if the Dragon Guard was reformed, by humans and elves no less, the hatred between us could start to disappear."

"Could being the magic word." Callum said wistfully. "There's a lot of bad history between elves and humans."

"We can't lose heart; the world will never change as fast as we'd like it to." She reminded him.

"That's true, it's just…somedays it seems impossible." He continued.

"I know, I'm sure there will be some elves who think humans won't be strong enough to resist the temptation to use dark magic. Plus, it will be hard for humans to start trusting elves again, especially after we…"

Rayla's thoughts drifted to their attack on Katolis, a mission of vengeance that unleashed a whole new wave of destruction and misery on the continent. How many had died because of what happened that night? How many more would die?

She shuttered at the thought as Callum pulled her closer to him.

"Hey hey, I know where you are right now. Come back to me." He told her gently.

She nodded and took a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's ok." He assured her.

They watched the stars in silence for several minutes before Rayla spoke up.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Plan?" her boyfriend asked.

"Yeah, the plan. You're the plan guy, right?"

"I've made like two plans…I think" He said, scratching his head.

She shrugged.

"Two more than I've made."

"True, but that doesn't mean I have a plan all the time."

"Riiight." Rayla said as she rolled over, so she was laying his stomach, her chin resting on her hands which were folded on his chest. Callum brushed a strand of white of hair out of her face, making her smile before putting his arms around her waist.

"Ok ok, so I have like a third of a plan."

"There he is." Rayla said proudly.

"My aunt has contacts back in the human kingdoms, if we can get a message out to them, maybe we can get an idea of where we can start looking." He explained.

"Right but uh, what exactly are we looking for?"

"That's where I'm stuck." He huffed.

"Hmmm…well what made you want to learn magic?" Rayla asked.

Callum pursed his lips as he thought back to his early days on the road, back when he had a primal stone.

"I guess, I just felt like I finally found what I was made for. My entire life, up until that point, felt like I was just stumbling forward without a purpose. Then one day I realized that I could do magic, and it felt like I wasn't just stumbling around anymore. At night when I closed my eyes, I could see this future version of myself. The version of myself I feel like I need to be, for Ezran, for Zym…for you."

"Callum, you don't need to be anything else then you for me." She said softly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel otherwise."

"No no no, you haven't." He replied quickly. "Don't worry. Now, how to find other human mages…"

"Alright." Rayla wasn't entirely satisfied with that answer. It was obvious he was trying to the turn the conversation from the topic, but she relented. Trusting him to come to her if something was bothering him.

"Maybe we really just have to look for people like you. People who are clever, eager to learn, people who want to make a difference. Maybe not all of them will be able to use magic but we need allies, we need more humans like you." She told him.

Callum smiled warmly at her before sitting up and planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"You're amazing." He told her as she rolled off his chest and onto her back, snuggling back into his side as he put an arm back around her.

"So are you." She replied before she turned onto her side, looking at her boyfriend quizzically.

"So, this future version of yourself, what did he look like?"

"Well he had a really cool beard- "

"You better not grow beard." She replied flatly.

"Aw what? why not?!"

"I don't want to kiss a cactus."

"It wouldn't be that bad!"

"You're not the one who has to deal with it." She replied.

"I'll trim it!" He offered.

"Won't help."

"How do you know?"

"Womanly intuition."

Callum got a mischievous look in his eye.

"Perhaps we should settle this over a tickle fight?"

Rayla's nostrils flared.

"I will throw you off this spire."

"You wouldn't do that to me. I could get hurt!" Callum said with a gasp, feigning shock and worry.

His girlfriend scoffed.

"You can fly, you'll be fine."

"Is that a chance your willing to take?" He challenged.

"Oh absolutely." Rayla replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

"I don't believe you!" Her boyfriend exclaimed, arms quickly snaking around her waist, fingers racing up and down her sides.

"Callum-No-STOP-I…MEAN IT!" Rayla yelped in between snorts and giggle fits.

"I demand that you let me grow a beautiful beard!" Callum ordered.

"NEVER!" She said defiantly, feebly trying to tickle her boyfriend in return.

"Do it! Or face my continued wrath! Don't make me start giving you raspberries!"

Rayla, still laughing and squirming, shook her head quickly.

"Noooo, ok ok! You win, you can grow a beard!"

"Yes, victory!" Her boyfriend declared, releasing her from his grasp while she playfully scowled at him.

"You're lucky I love you."

Callum laughed as they both sat up.

"Believe me I know."

The young prince stretched out his arms and yawned.

"It's getting pretty late. Maybe we should get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow."

He offered her his hand, but she just rested her head on his shoulder.

"Can we spend five more minutes together without worrying about the fate of the world?"

Callum smiled before resting his head against hers.

"Actually, that does sound nice."


	2. Ascendant

Chapter 2

Ascendant

"Claudia…"

The young woman's eyes shot open and she sat up abruptly, looking around to see where the mysterious voice was coming from.

"Who's there?" She asked.

"A friend of the family." The voice replied.

Claudia quickly got to her feet, extending an arm and summoning her staff to her hand in seconds as she walked towards what she perceived as the source of the voice, looking over her shoulder to see her father fast asleep in the corner of the cave.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim early morning light, she could finally see who or in this case what was calling to her. The cocoon on the wall was pulsating with a faint white light. Between the flashes, she could see a small humanoid shape laying on its side and facing away from her.

"Don't be frightened." It told her.

"Who are you?" Claudia demanded.

"I told you, a friend of the family. A friend of your father, specifically." It replied, the light in the cocoon pulsating in time with the cadence of its speech.

Claudia raised an eyebrow as she lowered her staff.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to warn you about your friend, Callum."

"Callum? How do you know about him?"

"You were just dreaming about him, were you not?"

Claudia pursed her lips and averted her gaze to the floor.

"…How did you know that?"

"In this state I am very…receptive to the feelings and desires of others."

Claudia's eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"Ooookay that's kinda creepy. So do you always wrap yourself in a glowy cocoon and spy on other people in their dreams or is this a new hobby of yours?"

"I did not spy on you in your dream. You let me into your dream. Into your nightmare in fact. Your spirit was practically calling out for help. As a friend of your family, I had to answer."

Claudia crossed her arms.

"You said you wanted me to warn me about him. What do you know that I don't?"

"I fear he may make a terrible mistake in the near future."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, taking a step closer to the cocoon.

"Our failure at the Storm Spire has put many lives at risk, including his. With the Dragon Prince now reunited with his mother, the forces of Xadia will move to fortify their position. I fear that if they are allowed to regroup, there next step will be to prepare a counterattack on the human kingdoms. There would be no one better to help them plan this attack then a young prince, who knows these kingdoms inside and out."

Claudia shook her head.

"No not Callum, he wouldn't help them hurt us. He wouldn't help the dragons. Not after what happened to his mom."

"Are you sure? Would it really be that big of a leap after everything he's done? He's lied to you, he's stolen from you, he used dark magic against you! He travelled across half a continent all so he could deliver the heir of the beast who killed his mother to its home-"

Claudia put her hands up defensively.

"He wouldn't have done that on his own. Someone probably pressured him into doing it. Maybe that Moonshadow elf is using some kind of an illusion spell to trick him. Making him think he's doing the right thing. He's a good guy, if he thought someone needed his help, he wouldn't have a second thought about helping them."

"I see, perhaps you are right…" the voice said ponderously, clearly not convinced.

"I know I'm right. I've known Callum since we were both little kids. He wouldn't have done all that unless he thought he's doing the right thing."

"I suppose such a thing could happen to the best of us." The voice offered.

"Exactly!" The young mage exclaimed.

"Well Claudia, your friend is in danger, your father is weakened from battle, our army is scattered, and as long as the Dragon Prince lives, humanity is it's grave peril. My question to you is this: what are you going to do about it?"

Claudia started pacing around the cave, gaze fixated on the floor as she walked.

"We need help, but another army of guys dressed up in plate armor isn't going to help. No matter how much power my dad gives them. We need to fight fire with fire."

"I couldn't agree more, what are you thinking?"

"The soldiers that my dad transformed, they have their usefulness. As a distraction. They can be the hammer, but we need a nail. Or preferably several nails. You see what I'm getting at?

"I…believe so?" The voice replied, sounding more than a little unsure as Claudia darted over to her father's saddlebags which had been tossed into the far corner of the room and started sifting through them.

"A few months ago, my father approached King Harrow with a plan to form a group of dark magic users for defense of the kingdom. Harrow rejected the plan because he feared it would lead to escalation of tensions between us and our neighbors, human and elves alike, but with him gone maybe we can finally give the people of Katolis the protection they deserve." She explained before pulling out a blood red tome from her father's things.

"Got it!" She said before she opened it and started flipping through the pages.

"He had a list of people he thought had the makings of powerful mages, there weren't many in Katolis, but he did travel to the other human kingdoms. If we can save Callum and Ezran maybe, we can convince the other kingdoms to send us new candidates to train!" She offered.

"Saving the princes would be a monumental achievement indeed…but what about your brother?" The voice replied.

Claudia turned her back to the cocoon, when she spoke again, it was barely above a whisper.

"What about him?"

"He is your brother."

"He was my brother." She snapped, turning back around with tears in her eyes. "until he betrayed us. Until he betrayed our family. Leaving like my mom did that's one thing but trying to…trying to kill our dad…that's something else altogether."

"To get to the princes, you will have to face him again. Are you prepared to do what's necessary to save them?"

Claudia took a shaky breath and her hand curled into a fist, her nails digging into her palm.

"Of course."

"I admire your conviction. Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders is not something just anyone can do."

Claudia smiled faintly.

"Thank you, that means a lot. Especially right now." She said before glancing to the withered corpse that lay in the shadows of the cave. The man she had killed to bring her father back to life.

"Doing the right thing is never easy, especially when every fiber of your being is telling you to do something, anything else. Only the strongest of us can make the sacrifices required to make things right. Even if there are some who will condemn you for it. Your father understood this fact better than anyone." The voice assured her.

"I just can't help but wonder what his family would think…" She muttered.

"If they were in the same position as you, they would have done the same. Afterall, what's more important than family?"

Claudia turned away from the corpse, looking to her father's chest as it rose and fell. A fresh sense of relief washed over her.

"Nothing."

"I couldn't agree more." The voice hummed.

"How many names are in that book of yours?"

Claudia lifted up the tome and started scanning the pages.

"A little over a dozen, my dad has quite a bit of information on all of them. Where they live, their occupation, some have the names of their family members but not all of them. Surely they can't be all by themselves."

"It's not outside the realm of the possibility, especially in times of war."

"That's awful." The young mage said, lowering herself onto the floor and pulling out a map of Katolis and laying it out next to the book.

"Indeed."

"Maybe we should go to them first, some of them live pretty close to the boarder. It wouldn't be too hard for us to get back into Katolis from here. If we're lucky we can track these people down and try and recruit them to our cause. Give them a new home, a new life." She said excitedly.

"A new family." The voice offered.

Claudia smiled and nodded.

"Yes! A new family. One that they choose."

"We can all get stronger together, and then we can make things right. Callum and Ezren can come home, the dragons will be gone and Xadia will know that when push comes to shove, we can and will defend ourselves. Humanity will finally ascend to its rightful place in the world." Claudia said, forcefully shutting her father's book and looking up to see the figure in the cocoon had rolled over to face her, yellow eyes fixated on her.

"Very good, shall we begin?"


	3. Undercurrent

Chapter 3

Undercurrent

"The Queen will see you now Prince Callum," Ibis said, emerging from the shadowed corridor that leads to the Dragon Queen's chambers.

"Okay…" He said taking a deep breath before looking up at Soren, Rayla, and Ezran who smiled and gave him an encouraging nod before he turned and followed Ibis into the Queen's chambers.

Despite his confidence in the plan, he was still incredibly nervous. He wasn't sure how the Queen would react when the son of her mate's killer would ask to reform an organization with the purpose of protecting her and her son. Oh, and he would also have to mention that the new guard would be, in part, composed of humans who may or may not be able to use primal magic.

"_Yes, that sounds perfectly sane." _He mused as he arrived at the Dragon Queen's nest.

"Prince Callum, I hope you slept well," Zubeia said warmly before adjusting her tail coil little tighter around Zym, who was still fast asleep.

"I did your majesty; I hope you had a restful night as well."

"I have my son again, thanks to you and your friends. I haven't slept so soundly in many years."

"I'm glad," Callum said with a smile.

"Ibis told me you had something you wished to discuss with me. Something very important."

"I do, it's actually about the attack we suffered before you awoke."

"Ah yes, Ibis told me of the battle. A terrible waste of life and now I am hearing that the Sunfire Elves have been sent into disarray. Their capital has fallen, and the Sun Forge has been corrupted by dark magic."

"Wait Lux Aurea has fallen?"

"I'm afraid so. There are many refugees now on their way here seeking protection and aid, but we do not have much in the way of supplies after the battle. Some of our wounded also more extensive treatment, treatment we cannot supply here."

"What are we going to do?"

Zubeia sighed.

"I do not know, but Ibis and I are thinking we may have to relocate to ensure everyone can get what they need."

"Where were you thinking, if you don't mind my asking?"

"We were considering moving to the old stronghold of a previous Dragon King, Darsiam, who resided beneath the Earthblood Elf city of Lumes Leukos. We would be safe from any human attack there, at least for a time. If we were to travel there, I am afraid we would be forced to abandon and the other humans to their fate. That is a sacrifice I am not willing to make, however, we will find a way forward, in time." She explained before shaking her head.

"I am sorry Callum, this is not what you wanted to talk to me about I'm sure."

"Actually, I think my idea could help with that."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I was wondering, with your permission, if-if you would let me reform the Dragon Guard, with humans as a part of its ranks. Humans who can use magic."

"Dark magic, even used in defense of others, has its costs, Prince Callum."

"We wouldn't use dark magic. We would use primal magic. I'm sure Ibis told you about how I've connected to the Sky arcanum. I want to seek out other humans who could have an affinity for other arcanums and help them unlock their potential." He explained quickly.

"Zym will need to be protected until he gets older, and that shouldn't be your burden to bear alone. I want to help however I can. Rayla can lead the guard, I know she'd be an amazing leader. She's one of the smartest, bravest people I know but I want to be the bridge between Xadia and Human Kingdoms and showing people that there's a better way forward, for all of us, is something I have to do. For all the people we lost to get here."

"Prince Callum…I fear you an oddity, but I pray that you are not. In character and in your abilities. When I saw you and Rayla with my son and heard your story, it filled my heart with hope. I share your convictions; we must find a better way forward. For too long, humans, dragons and elves have been walking on separate paths. It is time for the paths to converge."

"I give you my blessing to reform the guard, bring any that you find worthy to this place so that they can learn, as you have, to connect to the primal source that they sprang from. I beg of you though, stay on this path, no matter what others say, no matter how futile they think this is and be wary of the allure of the shadows. Of shortcuts and power for the sake of power. This may be the only chance for peace. Please do not waste it."

"I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." She said warmly.

"Now, where will you start?"

"Well, my aunt has a contact in the human kingdoms, our kingdom's crow master. He manages all correspondences in and out of the kingdom, which means he also hears a lot of strange rumors. Well, he sent a message to us about this guy on the coast of Duren. He sounds promising. He's been keeping peace in his community ever since he was little kid, and he's only gotten better at connecting with people as he's gotten older."

"Those of the water arcana are known to be excellent diplomats." The Queen added, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"That's what Ibis was thinking!"

Ibis nodded, coming forward to stand by Callum.

"It's a hunch to be sure, but it's the only lead we have, and we need to start somewhere."

"What do you think of this venture, old friend?"

Ibis crossed his arms, glancing quizzically at Callum before looking up at Zubeia.

"Two weeks ago, I thought you and the prince were lost to us, all-out war was assured, and that no human could ever rise above their darker instincts to connect with a primal source. Needless to say, I was wrong on all accounts. Now it would seem that anything is possible."

"Then it is decided, Callum, you will travel to the shores of Duren and seek out this prospective mage. I trust you to decide whether or not he will be a worthy addition to the reborn Dragon Guard."

Callum could hardly contain his excitement.

"Thank you thank you, we'll leave at once! Uh, wait…how are we gonna get there? The border will be more heavily defended than ever."

The Queen looked to the elf standing next to him.

"Ibis, tell Pyrrah of Callum's mission. She is to carry him and his companions to their destination and return when their work is done."

Ibis nodded and bowed, heading off without a word. Zubeia then looked to Callum, who was looking to her earnestly.

"You should gather your things and prepare for departure, Pyrrah is many things but patient is not one of them."

"I will! Thank you, your majesty."

"Fair skies and swift tailwinds Prince Callum. Good luck."

…

"So why exactly are we flying to a place called the Skeleton Coast?!" Rayla asked over the wind as they started descending through the clouds, her arms around her boyfriend's waist.

"It's where the town of Rooibank is! When humans were exiled from Xadia, a lot of the ships heading west ran struggled to navigate this area of the North Sea. Most of them had never sailed before. So a lot of ships and ran aground or sank, forcing hundreds of refugees to swim ashore, most didn't make it but the ones that did used the remains of their ships to build towns like Rooibank." Callum explained as their destination emerged on the horizon before tapping his brother, who was sitting in front of him on the shoulder.

"Tell Pyrrah that we need to land in a place where she can hide!"

Ezran nodded and put a hand on Pyrrah's head, and she hummed in response before going into a shallow dive.

"She says she sees a mine below us that she's going to use for cover. She doesn't smell any humans so it should be safe."

"Sounds good," Callum said as the rocky hills below them got larger and larger until they were surrounded on all sides by rock faces and small sand dunes. As they got ever closer to the ground, Pyrrah extended her wings, kicking up a dust cloud before her charges leaped off her back with Callum casting a quick spell to dissipate the dragon-made dust storm while Rayla investigated their surroundings.

"We're safe! I'd say this mine has been abandoned for a while. I don't see any footprints anywhere and a lot of the tools lying around are covered in sand." She announced after a thorough search, sheathing her daggers.

"Good, Pyrrah will be safe here," Ezran said with a smile.

"Let her know we'll be back in a few days," Callum said as he clambered up the nearest sand dune and used a spyglass to look out at the surrounding area, where he could see the wooden and stone structures of that dotted the coastline. A hundred yards offshore he could see the rotting remains of more recent shipwreck and farther down the coast, fifty-foot tall earthen spires that resembled supersized terminate mounds could be seen, the dunes surrounding it covered in the bleached white bones of slain animals big and small.

Callum looked up at the afternoon sun with worry, which Rayla noticed right away.

"What's wrong?" She asked, hustling up the side of the dune

"I think there's a carrion moth hive nearby."

"You're kidding."

"I wish." He replied, handing Rayla the spyglass. She cursed in draconic for several seconds before looking at the sun.

"We need to get into town before sunset."

"Agreed," Callum said.

"Worst case scenario I can try talking to them." Ezran offered.

"I don't think that's a chance we want to take Ez. Ready to go?"

"Yup! The sooner we get going the sooner we can get Bait out of the sun." He replied, lifting the plucky glow toad higher into the air.

"Ok, give Rayla your cloak. We need to start walking."

"Yes! It's time for Human Rayla to return!" Ezran said triumphantly.

"The world is not ready," Callum replied solemnly before Rayla playfully slugged him in the arm.

"Hush you." She told him before throwing the cloak over her head, a big smile growing on her face.

"Greetings fellow-"

"Let's get going," Callum replied flatly, before snickering at Rayla's pouting.

"Aw man," Ezran grumbled as Bait skin slowly changed color to express his disappointment.

"You'll get plenty of time with human Rayla when we get into town." His brother said as they started to trudge through the sand.

…

As the group neared the outskirts of Rooibank, they saw a small cluster of people gathering outside of town. Rayla didn't start reaching for her weapons until she heard their conversation turn into a shouting match.

"There's nothing you can say to weasel your way out of this Avietissian! How else would they have gotten in?" One man bellowed.

"I didn't go near your ship Valk! Don't put your failures on me!" Another shot back.

"Perhaps you'd like to come over here and say that again!"

"Oh yes because that went so well for you last time! Maybe I'll do more than take your eye, you traitor! You and your whole wretched family deserve everything they get! Simon included!"

Rayla jumped ahead of Callum when she heard swords be drawn, and a white-haired man charged forward, fury in his voice.

"Y-you don't get to say his name! I'll kill you!"

A small group of men and women in leather, armed with spears, rushed over and started pulling the men away from each other.

"Enough! I said that's enough!" One of the men said after the two warring factions were separated. More than likely he was the captain of the town watch.

"You two can walk out into the desert and kill each other if you want, give the carrion moths something to eat, but there will be no bloodshed in this town! You are all to disperse!"

Neither party moved.

"Now!"

After hesitating for what seemed like an eternity, the two groups grudgingly sheathed their weapons and skulked off, trading insults with each other as they walked back into town. It was only then did the watchmen seem to notice Rayla and the princes.

"Hello!" The captain said, walking over to meet them.

"Afternoon!" Rayla replied, shooting a glance to Callum and Ezran who quickly joined her in waving hello. With Callum rushing forward to meet the captain.

"The name is Enzo, I'm the leader of the town watch. I am so sorry you had to see that. I swear the rest of the town isn't like this."

"That's alright," Callum assured him as they shook hands. "My name is Callum, and this is my girlfriend Rayla and my little brother Ezran. The little guy he's holding is Bait."

"A pleasure to meet you all. Let me welcome to you the city of Rooibank. Come come, let's get out of the sun." He said, gesturing for them to follow.

"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, why were those people fighting?" Rayla said, gesturing to the two groups of angry townsfolk who were walking on parallel paths on either side of them.

Enzo sighed.

"They've always been fighting I'm afraid. Ever since their families were shipwrecked here, they've been trying to kill each other."

"That's awful, why do they hate each other so much?" Ezran asked as the two groups finally turned to walk in opposite directions. One heading to an overturned schooner covered in tarp and metal panels and the other walking to an opulent merchant ship, half-buried in sand and flying a flag none of them recognized from its mainmast.

"Well long story short, The Valks, the ones walking to the big fancy ship, think that the Avietissians attacked them the night their ship ran aground. The Valks say they are hated for being successful merchants, so the Avietissians attacked them out of jealousy. Meanwhile the Avietissians think the Valks attacked them as part of a secret deal with the Oceanheart elves. The Valks sink as many refugee ships as they can, and they got to keep their trading fleet, their warehouses and their riches. The Avietissians say they only survived because the Valks ran aground, which gave them time to abandon ship. They've been fighting ever since."

Rayla looked at the two old ships and shook her head.

"How can they be fighting over this still? They would have arrived centuries ago."

"Hatred never dies I'm afraid. Especially when it's reinforced over generations. Those ships they live in aren't even the real ships they first came in. They're recreations of the originals. They seem to think that everything they are and everything that they could have been is tied to those rotting planks and tattered sails."

Callum shuttered, thinking of how he had held the same vile hatred for elves and dragons for years and years. Sure, he was never that vocal about it, but sometimes at night when he was alone with his thoughts, he thought how the Dragon King had killed his mom and what's worse, there were many that mourned him. Many more than those who mourned his mom.

A thought that made his blood boil.

He found his hand reaching for Rayla's who took his hand and pulled it into her cloak, trying to keep her own hand concealed. She looked at him briefly and smiled, gently pulling her closer to her side.

"Has fighting ever actually broke out?" Ezran asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. Last year, the oldest member of the Valk family, Haider, lost his eye during a fight with Solomon. He's the oldest son of Myla. She's the head of the Avietissian family."

"Well, at least no one was killed." Rayla offered.

"I wish that were the case. The night that Haider lost his eye, we lost one our own. He was trying to keep Solomon from doing something he would regret…and he lost his life for it."

"That's awful," Callum said, directing his gaze to the sound beneath his feet

"How is Solomon still a free man? He should be punished." Rayla asked.

"The Avietissians threatened violence if we moved against them, and there aren't enough of us to stand against them. We had to let him walk or the whole town would have turned into a warzone. Obviously, we couldn't have gone to the Valks for help, woulda just made everything worse."

Enzo let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, that probably wasn't something you wanted to hear about. Don't worry though, you're safe here. This little town may have its problems, but it's my home. There's nowhere I'd rather be."

"It's alright, I wish there was some way we could help," Callum replied, earning him a warm smile from the captain.

"You know we don't see many travelers out in these parts. What brings you to our town anyway?"

"We're actually looking for someone, a man named Amani. We were hoping to speak with him if possible." Ezran replied, 

"Ah, that would explain it. You're not the only people who come to talk to him. He's a smart kid."

"Kid?" Callum asked.

"Oh yeah, maybe a year younger than you."

Callum shot Rayla a surprised expression before turning back to Enzo.

"If you're looking to speak with him, he's usually down by the water on days like this. He doesn't come back till sundown."

"Would we be bothering him if we went down there?" Ezran asked.

"Not at all. He's quite the people person. Always happy to see new faces."

The gang thanked Enzo, who told them to come find him should they need anything, before heading off through the town and towards the shoreline.

After passing through a tapestry of newer stone structures and older wooden buildings, often built to resemble a specific ship, the gang arrived at the beach where there was hardly anyone or anything in sight. Save for a wooden chair that was practically buried in the sand with a folded stack of clothes neatly placed on the seat.

In the distance, the trio could see a lone figure floating in the water.

"Is that him?" Ezran wondered.

"I'm not sure, but there's only one way to find out. Whatdya say, Ez? Wanna go for a swim?" Callum asked.

His litter brother nodded quickly, already taking his shirt off and running for the water but not before setting Bait down on a rock to sunbathe. Callum was quick to follow suit, only stopping when he saw that Rayla had plopped down into the sand, legs pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on knees.

"You can go ahead." She told him, staring off into the distance.

"You know, I can teach you how to swim."

"I know how to swim…I've just, I've had bad experiences in the water is all."

"What if I gave you a piggyback ride through the water, it looks shallow enough and I've carried you-"

"What on earth is a piggyback ride?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Callum looked flabbergasted.

"Where you hold onto someone while they carry you? You've never done that before?"

She quickly shook her head.

"Nope."

"Do you want to?" He asked, offering her his hand. Rayla seemed to consider it for a moment only to shake her head again.

"Well even if I did, I can't take this cloak off. Someone might see what I really look like."

"Yeah, that's a good point, oh! You can use my scarf as a headwrap! It should hide your ears and your horns."

Rayla looked surprised.

"Your mom made that for you though."

"I know, but I'm willing to let you borrow it for a little bit. I even managed to get it washed before we left. So, it doesn't smell like death!" He said proudly.

"It'll get wet." She replied.

"It'll dry." He countered.

Rayla sighed, clearly still not convinced.

"Callum…I-"

"Look, I don't want to make you feel like you have to go. I just feel bad leaving you here by yourself but if you don't feel comfortable, then that's fine. If you change your mind you can just call me ok?"

A faint smile formed on her face and she nodded.

"Ok."

Callum planted a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Be right back." He said before stripping down to his undergarments, which made Rayla blush before she watched her boyfriend hurry off to join his younger brother.

Suddenly, she felt her heart swell with courage as she sprung up and called out to them.

"Hey! Wait for me!" She shouted before Callum jogged back to her and Ezran let out a cheer.

As Callum scanned their surroundings, she took off her clothes but left her cloak on until Callum gave her a thumbs up. She took the cloak off and hid her weapons and clothes underneath it before Callum quickly went to work wrapping his scarf around her head, loose enough so her head wouldn't bake in the desert heat but tight enough to where it wouldn't fall off. When he was finished, he took a step back to admire his handiwork, only to end up admiring his girlfriend for a few moments longer then he intended.

"It's not polite to stare." She teased, snapping him out of his trance.

"Oh yeah sorry." He said shaking his head quickly before taking her hand and leading her down the beach and into the water.

Rayla felt her heart start to hammer against her ribcage as the water got up to her knees, tightening her grip on her boyfriend's hand.

"Just a little further." He told her as the water continued to rise around them.

"You can do it Rayla!" Ezran exclaimed, treading water nearby.

Callum stopped their advance into the sea, with the water up to their stomachs and kneeled down, his back turned to Rayla and bent over.

"Ok hop on." He told her.

"Uh, ok." She said, awkwardly clambering onto his back.

"So, you put your arms over my shoulders, and I'll hold onto your legs-"

"Please don't drop me."

"I won't, I promise. I've given Ezran a piggyback ride dozens of times."

"He's a pro Rayla, don't worry." The little prince confirmed as he swam over to them. Rayla nodded and looked out into the distance to see where they were going. She could have sworn he had gotten farther away.

"Ezran, can you lead the way and let me know if it gets too deep for me to walk?"

"Yeah, sure!" He replied before diving underwater and swimming ahead.

Callum turned his head to look at Rayla.

"You ok?"

"Yeah yeah I'm ok." She said, resting her head against his.

"Let me know if you need to get back to dry land alright?"

"I will." She affirmed as Callum started walking forward. The water continued to rise around them as they moved forward. She tightened her grip on Callum and focused her gaze on who they had come to see.

The young man floating on the surface of the water had dark skin, short curly black hair. His upper torso was well defined by muscle, but his legs were thin and spindly. The contrast was striking to Rayla but she couldn't dwell on it very long as she noticed Ezran surface and call to his brother.

"You'll be alright, just keep walking straight!"

"Thanks, Ez! Can you go on ahead and introduce us?"

"Sure thing!" He replied before swimming off, as he approached, he saw the young man's flick open and his head turn ever so slightly to observe his approach.

"Excuse me, is your name Amani?"

"Yup, that's me. What's your name?" He replied warmly.

"I'm Ezran and that's my brother Callum and his girlfriend Rayla. My brother wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh? What did he want to talk to me about?"

"Well uh, he wanted to ask you-uh-it's probably best if he explains it," Ezran replied, looking to his older sibling who only now realized that he should have thought about what he was gonna say.

How is he even supposed to start this?

_Hello, random person, we've just met, we think you can do magic! Would you like to fly away to Xadia on a dragon with me and my Moonshadow elf girlfriend to find out for sure?_

Yeah, that would go well.

"Callum," Rayla whispered.

"I was just gonna ask why you were floating out here all by yourself?" He finally said a response that caught both his companions off guard.

"Oh, well I just come out here to think. I'm trying to help a friend solve a problem. Having a bit of trouble though. I'm stuck on something. Something that doesn't make sense."

"Well, maybe we could help." Ezran offered. "It can help to have some other people to bounce ideas off of."

"Hm, that's true! Would you guys mind?"

"No, not at all," Callum replied earnestly.

"Thanks! OK so before I start I have to tell you about these two families that live here-"

"The Valks and the Avietissians?" Rayla guessed.

"Yup that's them! Wait…how did you know about them?"

"Enzo told us about them after we came into town. They were about ready to kill each other." Callum explained.

Amani groaned.

"Ah jeez, I didn't know they were fighting again. What happened this time?"

"Well, we're not sure. We only caught the tail of the argument, but things didn't get heated until someone named Simon came up." Rayla replied.

"That makes sense, Simon died a few years ago."

"What happened?" Ezran asked.

"He got really sick; a lot of people did. Including me. No one knows what caused it. Some people think some elves snuck across the border and poisoned the well; others say it's the carrion moths. After a few months, a lot of people got better, including me but Simon didn't."

"I can see why his family would get so angry now," Callum muttered.

"Most of us can I think, but it's not worth killing someone over. They have to stop fighting so the rest of the town can move forward. All the fighting does nothing but scare people off. That's where I come in, I've been trying to find out what really happened the night their families were shipwrecked. When I get stuck, I come out here."

"That would have happened centuries ago though, all the clues are probably gone." Rayla reasoned.

"Most of the clues are gone, but not all of them," Amani replied. "I just need to piece it all together, then maybe, they'll finally stop fighting once or for all."

"Can we help you?" Callum asked.

"I don't know…the last person who tried to help got hurt. I don't want to put you guys in a position where you'd be in danger because you want to help me."

"Trust me, we can handle any kind of trouble that comes our way," Rayla assured him.

Amani furrowed his brow, clearly weighing his options.

"We don't have to follow you around gathering information of that's what you are worried about. You can just bounce ideas off us if you get stuck."

This seemed to satisfy the young man who then nodded.

"That could help a lot actually. An outside perspective will be good for this whole process too. All the evidence I've gathered is at my house, we can go there now if you'd like."

"Now is good," Rayla said quickly, earning a nod from the princes.

"Alright, let's go!" Amani replied as he turned towards the beach and started swimming, using only his arms to propel him. Ezran took the lead to guide Callum and Rayla back to shore. Once in shallower water, Rayla detached from her boyfriend and jogged onto dry land throwing her cloak on and taking off her boyfriend's scarf and tossing it to him.

She had expected to see Amani throwing his clothes back on, but instead, she saw him dragging himself through the sand to the wooden chair and dusting off the sand around its base to reveal the large wheel attached to either side. Amani moved his clothes from the seat and onto the sand before pulling himself into the seat. Seeing this Ezran trotted over and picked his clothes up and held them while he moved his legs into place with his hands.

"Oh, thank you Ezran." He said before taking his clothes from the young boy

"No problem, having sand in your clothes is the worst after you go swimming." He replied as Bait crawled across the sand to meet them.

"Friend of yours?" Amani asked as he put his pants on.

"Yeah! This is Bait. He goes everywhere I go." The prince replied as patted his friend on the head while Callum used his brother's cloak as a curtain to shield Rayla from any passersby's while she got dressed again.

"Don't think I've ever seen anything like that before." Amani mused as Ezran put his shirt on.

"Wha-oh right. Well, Rayla's really shy about how she looks. Last time we went swimming she wouldn't even get in the water."

"Well, today certainly has been a big day for her then," Amani said as he pivoted his wheelchair around.

"Definitely," Ezran said proudly as Rayla emerged, officially back in disguise as she threw the cloak on in one fluid motion.

"Hey, are you gonna need help getting through the sand?" Callum asked as he and Rayla walked over.

"Getting off the beach is always the hard part since its uphill, but if one of you would like to help me it would be greatly appreciated," Amani replied.

"I can help," Ezran said, getting behind the wheelchair and starting to push while trying to balance Bait on his head. Amani noticed this and chuckled.

"You know Ezran, I can hold Bait while you push."

"You don't mind?" He asked.

"Not at all."

Ezran gently set Bait onto his lap before he got back to pushing and slowly but surely, they got moving through the sand alongside Callum and Rayla.

"How are you feeling?" Callum asked, looking to his girlfriend.

"Good!" She said quickly "I'm glad that I went out there with you, but I'm annoyed that was I scared out of my mind the entire time."

"Annoyed? Why?"

She leaned in and whispered.

"I'm a highly trained assassin, but I can't go out for a swim. How embarrassing is that?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone is scared of something. My mom was a well-respected warrior whose fought monsters the size of houses and she was scared of spiders."

"Wait really?" Rayla asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah. If she was with us at the Cursed Caldera, that giant spider illusion would have probably made her pass out. Then there's me, sometimes I have panic attacks." Her boyfriend continued.

"You never told me that."

Callum shrugged.

"Never came up."

"What triggers them?"

"For me, it's a few things. When I was little it was thunderstorms. Lightning flashing, the rain pouring down, the wind hollowing against the castle walls, the crash of thunder that shook my room. It would just overwhelm me. As I got older crowds became another one, especially if I was alone. One time at a festival, I got separated from Claudia and I started hyperventilating because there was too much going on around me, then the next thing I know I'm in my room with the family doctor."

"What happened?"

"I passed out. The guards thought someone had poisoned me so the whole castle went on lockdown for like three hours"

"Yikes," Rayla muttered.

"Yeah it was bad, my mom has had to help soldiers with panic attacks in the past, so she taught me these breathing exercises to stay calm whenever I feel an attack coming on. It helps a lot. You know, if you want, I could teach them to you some time. They might just help with your fear of water."

"You think so?" She asked.

"It's worth a shot." He replied.

Rayla's gaze hardened with determination.

"Let's do it."

"There she is," Callum said proudly as they got back into town. "We'll start tomorrow morning. We can go to the beach after all the carrion moths return to their hive."

Rayla nodded, a smirk appearing on her face as Amani and Ezran came to a stop next to them.

"Thank you Ezran, I can take it from here," Amani said, handing Bait back to the young prince before looking to Callum and Rayla.

"Now, who's ready to solve an ancient mystery?"


End file.
